The Stationmaster's farewell irc-9

by Edward Marston

  ‘Hello, Miss Impey,’ said Dorcas, smiling gently. ‘How are you?’

  ‘Oh, it’s you, Miss Hope.’ She opened the door wider to check that nobody else was there. ‘You’re on your own, I see.’

  ‘I just came to offer help.’

  Frances was suspicious. ‘What sort of help?’

  ‘Well, you may want someone to do the shopping for you or help with jobs around the house. I know that Mrs Rossiter did so much when she was here. You may find it difficult to manage on your own.’

  ‘Yes, I might.’

  ‘You know where I live. All you have to do is to ask.’

  ‘Thank you, Miss Hope. That’s very kind of you.’

  ‘I have to work at the refreshment room, of course,’ said Dorcas, ‘but I do have some free time each day. I must say that we miss your sister at the railway station. Mrs Rossiter was such an efficient manageress.’

  ‘Agnes was efficient at everything she did — unlike me.’

  ‘It may be that you just feel the need for company.’

  ‘At the moment, to be honest, I just wish to be alone.’

  ‘I can understand that. I won’t bother you any longer.’

  ‘It was so kind of you to call.’

  ‘I’ll come again when you’ve … settled down.’

  ‘I suppose they’re all talking about Agnes,’ said Frances, meekly.

  ‘Mrs Rossiter was in our prayers in church this morning. However,’ said Dorcas, ‘I don’t wish to intrude. I’ve made my offer and I hope that you’ll take advantage of it. I owe a lot to Mrs Rossiter. She taught me everything.’

  With a smile of farewell, Dorcas withdrew and walked away. Frances closed the door and went back to the kitchen. She had a friend. She was not quite so isolated, after all. The visit had been brief but it had brought immense reassurance. She was touched by the sincerity of the offer of help. Dorcas Hope would help her through the nightmare that lay ahead. She had someone to whom she could turn. Though it was now stone cold, Frances was at last able to drink her cup of tea.

  The wound had needed several stitches and his blood had soaked the sleeves of his shirt and frock coat. The encounter with Browne had also shaken Tallis up. He was sitting in a chair in his room at the tavern. The doctor had just left but Colbeck and Leeming were bending over him in concern. Neither of them had ever believed he would feel so sorry for Tallis. He was pale, drawn and somehow reduced in size. One of his arms was heavily bandaged and supported by a sling. Their sympathy was edged with admiration. It was clear that Tallis had shown great courage in taking on Browne. He was wearing a dressing gown now, but they’d seen the ugly bruises on both arms when he’d been attended by the doctor. Tallis obviously felt embarrassed to be a patient. He shooed them back with a nod of his head.

  ‘You don’t need to stand over me,’ he said. ‘You’d be more use joining in the search for the villain who did this to me.’

  ‘Superintendent Steel has already organised a manhunt, sir,’ said Colbeck. ‘All off-duty policemen have been recalled to take part in it.’

  ‘I wish that more of them had been there at the police station.’

  ‘Browne must have known that numbers would have been depleted.’

  ‘What news of the duty sergeant?’

  ‘According to the superintendent, there’s no permanent damage but the man has a bad headache. Browne must have felled him with his walking stick.’

  Tallis felt a stab of pain. ‘Don’t mention that stick to me, Inspector.’

  ‘It was lucky that you happened to be there, sir,’ said Leeming.

  ‘I don’t feel lucky, I can tell you.’

  ‘But you were able to delay the escape. That will have helped.’

  ‘Nevertheless, they managed to get away.’

  ‘They won’t get far, sir. There must be dozens of witnesses who saw a horse and cart careering through the streets. And where will they hide?’ asked Leeming. ‘They can hardly go back to the woman’s room in Rockfield Place.’

  Tallis’s familiar growl resurfaced. ‘Leeming.’

  ‘Yes, sir?’

  ‘Oblige me by holding that irritating appendage known as your tongue. At a time like this, I don’t need your mindless speculation.’

  ‘Victor was making a reasonable point, sir,’ said Colbeck in support of his friend, ‘but I can see that you need to be left alone to rest.’

  ‘I do feel weak,’ admitted the other.

  ‘Then we’ll disappear. Our rooms are only down the passageway. If you need us this evening, you only have to call.’

  ‘Thank you, Colbeck,’ said Tallis. ‘All that I need at the moment is peace and quiet. Tomorrow, I’ll be fit enough to take up the reins of this investigation once again. Next time I meet Browne, he won’t get away so easily.’

  ‘Oh, I don’t think you should tackle him again, sir,’ said Leeming.

  ‘Your opinion is redundant.’

  ‘I happen to share it,’ said Colbeck, becoming more assertive. ‘You heard what the doctor advised, sir. He was talking about days of bed rest. I don’t think that’s necessary for someone as resilient as you but it’s clear that you shouldn’t continue to take charge of the case when you must be in constant pain and discomfort.’

  ‘My arm is on fire,’ conceded Tallis, touching it gingerly with his other hand. ‘It’s almost as if the dagger is still in there.’

  ‘That settles it. Tomorrow morning, I’ll put you on a train back to London so that you can return home and rest in more comfortable surroundings. Since you won’t be able to carry any luggage,’ said Colbeck with a sly wink at Leeming, ‘the sergeant will accompany you and make sure that you are not jostled in the course of your journey. I daresay that you’d like your own doctor to examine the wound. He’s far and away the best person to give you advice about convalescence.’

  ‘I’m not an invalid, man. I need no convalescence.’

  It was a half-hearted protest. Tallis knew that Colbeck was right and that it would be an effort for him to remain in Exeter. While he hated having to quit the field, he was confident that the Railway Detective would ultimately bring the case to a satisfactory conclusion. For his part, Leeming was delighted that Colbeck had devised a way to get him back to London where — if only for a short time — he could see his family. In a sense, Colbeck had killed two birds with one stone. He was getting rid of Tallis and doing his sergeant a favour at the same time. The inspector would be able to control the investigation more effectively with his superior out of the way and he would soon be rejoined by someone refreshed by a visit to his wife and children.

  ‘We’ll leave you alone now, sir,’ said Colbeck.

  ‘Thank you,’ said Tallis, wearily.

  ‘Don’t worry, sir,’ Leeming put in. ‘I’ll get you safely back to London.’

  ‘Please do so in total silence.’

  ‘Yes, yes, I’ll be as quiet as the grave.’ He opened the door. ‘Goodbye, sir.’

  ‘Wait a moment,’ said Tallis, adjusting the sling on his arm. ‘Before you go, could one of you do me a favour?’

  ‘I’ll be happy to do so,’ offered Colbeck.

  ‘Then you can light me a cigar.’

  The mood had changed in the little house in Camden. Since tea with the two ladies, Caleb Andrews had lost some of the wind from his sails. He was not moping but he was markedly less enthusiastic about his friendship with Binnie Langton. Meeting her sister had suddenly applied a brake to a relationship that he had planned to pursue at speed until now. Ivy Young was a troubling new factor in the equation.

  Madeleine found it distracting to have her father sitting in the parlour while she was trying to paint. Instead of his usual jovial patter, all that he was contributing was a vague sense of discontent. He didn’t even feel able to take his daily walk.

  ‘The weather is brighter today,’ she observed.

  ‘I hadn’t noticed.’

  ‘The sun is out. It’s a good time for a stroll.’


  ‘Are you trying to get rid of me, Maddy?’

  ‘Frankly, I am,’ she said. ‘Fresh air will do you good. There’s no point in simply brooding in here.’

  ‘It’s only what you’ve been doing,’ he argued. ‘Ever since he left, you’ve done nothing but think about my future son-in-law.’

  ‘But they’ve mostly been happy thoughts about the wedding.’

  ‘Mine were happy thoughts until Mrs Young turned up.’

  ‘She really upset you, didn’t she?’

  ‘Yes, Maddy. Everything has been turned upside down.’

  ‘When are you going to invite Mrs Langton to tea?’

  ‘I’m having second thoughts about that.’

  ‘It’s only polite to ask her here,’ said Madeleine. ‘It’s a way of thanking her for her hospitality — and you’ll see her on her own this time.’

  Andrews cheered up. ‘That will be good.’

  Before he could say why, they were diverted by the sound of a cab rattling down the street and slowing to a halt outside the door. Madeleine moved quickly. In the hope that it might be Colbeck, she put down her brush, wiped her hands on a cloth and scuttled to the door. Flinging it open, she saw Leeming descending from the cab.

  ‘Oh,’ she said, saddened, ‘it’s you, Sergeant.’

  ‘I was asked by the inspector to deliver this,’ said Leeming, giving her a letter. ‘It will explain why I’m in such a rush. Superintendent Tallis and I caught the early train from Exeter and I have to return there this afternoon. Before then, I’m keen to snatch a little time with my family.’

  ‘Then I won’t hold you up. Thank you so much for this,’ she went on, holding up the letter. ‘Please give Robert my love.’

  ‘I will,’ said Leeming as he climbed back into the cab. ‘He’ll be very glad to receive it because it won’t have been a pleasant day for him.’

  ‘Oh — why is that?’

  ‘At this very moment, Inspector Colbeck is attending a funeral.’

  He signalled to the driver and the cab drew away from the kerb.

  The funeral of Joel Heygate was a sombre affair. While he had few close relatives, he’d acquired a wide extended family of friends. Those who were able to get off work had joined the throng at St Olave’s Church in Fore Street. It was the place where Heygate had been christened, then married, so his life had come full circle. The little Saxon church was really no more than a chapel, so many of those there would be unable to get inside for the funeral service itself. They would have to wait until the proceedings came out into the churchyard. Having arrived early, Colbeck was able to have a chat with Steel, who had shed his uniform for once and was wearing apparel more suited to the occasion. They watched black-clad mourners filing into the church.

  ‘I suppose that St Olave’s is an appropriate place for Heygate to end up,’ said Steel. ‘It’s named after St Olaf, an eleventh-century king of Norway who was martyred in battle. There are those who’d call the stationmaster something of a martyr.’

  ‘It’s a very pretty piece of architecture.’

  ‘You wouldn’t have been able to say that twenty odd years ago, Inspector. St Olave’s was almost derelict then. So were a number of other churches. Thanks to the initiative of the then recently appointed Bishop Phillpotts, some twelve of them were repaired and restored.’

  ‘That’s another good thing in his favour, then.’

  ‘He later formed a diocesan society to promote the further building and enlargement of churches. Oh, yes,’ said Steel, ‘he was full of energy in those days. Unfortunately, he still is.’

  ‘Some of his energy is misdirected, that’s all,’ said Colbeck, tolerantly. He looked around. ‘Do you expect Browne to put in an appearance?’

  ‘He wouldn’t dare turn up.’

  ‘Don’t you believe in the compulsion to return to the scene of the crime?’

  ‘Bagsy will be miles away by now. In his shoes, I know that I would be.’

  ‘He’s clearly a remarkable man who doesn’t think like you and me. Which of us would have had the gall and the bravado to rescue a prisoner from custody?’

  ‘Neither of us, Inspector — we’ve got too much sense.’

  ‘It’s the reason that we wouldn’t even conceive of the idea of attending the funeral of a man we’d killed. Mr Browne may find the temptation irresistible.’

  ‘If he does, my men will be on the lookout for him.’

  ‘I hope you’ve warned them how dangerous he can be.’

  ‘They heard what happened to the duty sergeant yesterday. While we’re on the subject,’ Steel went on, ‘how is Superintendent Tallis?’

  ‘He’s probably safely back in London by now.’

  Colbeck told him how he’d persuaded Tallis to leave the city in the company of Victor Leeming. While he’d been struck by the superintendent’s bravery in confronting Browne, Steel was glad that he was no longer there to hinder the inquiry. Colbeck would have a free hand and that was a positive improvement. Tallis was at his best behind a desk, delegating work to others and demanding quick results. He was too slow and lumbering to work on location as a detective.

  ‘Mr Woodford has remained on duty at the station,’ said Steel, ‘but he’s kindly released some of his staff to come here. I’m not quite sure what that tells us about him.’

  ‘He’s the stationmaster now and he wants everyone to know it. If he was involved in the murder,’ said Colbeck, ‘he might have been lured here if only for the perverse pleasure of seeing his old enemy laid to rest. But I suspect that he’d see the wisdom of staying away. He’s a shrewd and cunning man.’

  ‘Will he be installed as Heygate’s successor, do you think?’

  ‘He seems to have appointed himself already.’

  ‘The post will be advertised. The final decision will lie with Mr Quinnell.’

  ‘We’ll have to wait until the service is over before we can speak to him. Mr Quinnell was among the first to arrive because he’s in charge of the arrangements.’

  ‘Only a man of his influence could have got the funeral arranged in such a short time,’ said Steel. ‘I’m told that another one had to be postponed to make way for Heygate. Think of the upset that must have caused another grieving family. Let’s go on in while we can,’ he added, leading the way. ‘I asked them to reserve seats for us near the back.’

  ‘Thank you,’ said Colbeck. ‘That showed foresight.’

  ‘I want to see every moment of the ceremony, Inspector — just in case Bagsy Browne does sneak in at some point.’

  ‘Thanks to Mr Tallis, we have a very good description of the man.’

  ‘Yet his disguise fooled the duty sergeant. That’s worrying.’

  ‘Would you like to place a small wager?’

  ‘As long as it really is small,’ said Steel. ‘I’m certain that Bagsy won’t show his ugly face at the funeral. You think otherwise, I believe.’

  ‘It’s a feeling I have,’ said Colbeck, ‘and I’ll back it with money.’

  ‘Then I’ll wager a sovereign that I’m right.’

  ‘I accept the bet.’

  ‘You’re very prodigal with your money, Inspector.’

  ‘Not at all,’ said Colbeck with a confident grin. ‘To save time, you might as well hand over the sovereign now. Browne will be here. He has to be.’

  Adeline Goss had been thrilled at the risk that Browne had taken on her behalf. The escape had been exciting and wholly successful. After reaching the suburbs, they’d abandoned the horse and cart and made their way in the gathering gloom to the boat. Early next morning, they’d been bold enough to slip back into the city. They collected everything of value from Adeline’s room before most people had even woken up. Her things had been temporarily stowed away in the boat. By afternoon they were back in Exeter. She was disguised as a washerwoman with a basket of laundry over her arm and a floppy hat covering most of her face.

  ‘Don’t do it, Bagsy!’ she pleaded. ‘There’s no need.’

  ‘
There’s every need, Ad. I want to spit on his coffin.’

  ‘It’s too dangerous.’

  ‘Heygate was my enemy. I’m entitled to my moment of triumph.’

  ‘What if you’re caught?’

  Browne sniggered. ‘They had their chance to catch me yesterday,’ he boasted, ‘and they failed. I’m like a cat, Ad. I’ve got nine lives.’

  ‘You used one of them up yesterday.’

  ‘Is that a complaint?’ he asked, slipping an arm around her waist.

  ‘No,’ she replied with a laugh. ‘I loved every second of it.’

  ‘I always pay my dues, whether it’s to a friend or an enemy. It’s my code.’

  ‘You could be putting a noose around your neck, Bagsy.’

  ‘There’s no chance of that,’ he scoffed. ‘Those Scotland Yard detectives will think I took to my heels and ran away. They’d never expect me to stay in Exeter and neither would Superintendent Steel.’ He cackled. ‘I’d love to have seen his face when he saw that your cell was empty.’

  ‘Thank God you came for me — the food in there was like horse shit.’

  ‘We’ll have a proper meal this evening, a sort of celebration.’

  ‘What are we celebrating?’

  ‘I’ll tell you later,’ he said. ‘I don’t want to be late for the funeral. Heygate will be wishing he’d never upset me now — what’s left of him, anyway.’

  He marched off, singing happily to himself.

  In one respect, Joel Heygate was fortunate. The South Devon Railway gave him the sort of funeral that he could never have afforded and which was hopelessly beyond the means of his brother. No expense had been spared. Preceded by a mute, the coffin arrived in a glass-sided hearse drawn by black horses with black plumes. It was carried with great solemnity into the church by six men in mourning garb. The crowd assembled outside watched it all with hearts weighed down with fond memories of a man they’d never see again. The manner of his death gave the whole event an added poignancy.

  Colbeck was grateful for the way that the railway company had honoured its former stationmaster. Quinnell was only one of a number of its directors there. The inspector had seen far too many paupers’ funerals where the deceased was treated with little more respect than an animal carcass and where the proceedings were almost indecently perfunctory. Heygate had taken care to avoid such a fate. When they’d searched his house, they found a record of the instalments he’d paid over the years into a funeral club, ensuring that he would be buried in a proper Christian manner. In the event, his foresight had been unnecessary. His employers had taken charge.